HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. — How do you foster a love of learning in your children? One Bay Area teacher seems to have figured it out! 

Cyndi Wilson is reaching young people in her hometown, the same district where she and her whole family attended years ago. 

Wilson teaches 1st grade at Brooksville Elementary School.

For Wilson, the kids in her class aren't just students, they're family. 

"This is my family. Not only with my faculty members, but with my kids. I call them my kiddos," Wilson said. "I treat those kids like they're my own! I want the best for them."

With more than 22 years teaching in the Hernando district, the Brooksville native says she's simply doing what she's supposed to do, going beyond the curriculum, merging academics with social skills, and accepting students for who they are.

"When you have those kids come up and give you a hug, it's like I am making a difference. And I think I want to buy this shirt that says, 'They're the reason why.' My students are my reason why," Wilson said. 

It's a love that turned school around for 9-year-old Emma Powers. 

Emma's family wrote to Spectrum Bay News 9 saying she's now reading at a higher level and loves coming to school. 

"At my old school, nobody actually helped me or cared about me, so here I feel like I was cared about," Emma said. 

These kids are Wilson's kids, and a sense of family fosters their love of learning.